Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry

LANDMARKS OF MASONRY

The Landmarks of Masonry were defined in a Special Committee Report adopted October 3, 1928 as “the fundamental Principles of the Fraternity (which) have had such universal acceptance from time immemorial and are of such a character that Masonry, as we know it, cannot exit without them.”

Pursuant to the report,the following Landmarks were accepted as universal in regular Freemasonry:

Belief in God, the Creator, Author and Architect of the Universe-omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.

Belief in the immortality of the soul.

“Book of the Law” as an indispensable part of the furniture of the Lodge.

The government of the Fraternity by a Grand Master.

Secrecy: Applied to the modes of recognition, certain symbols, the ballot, obligations, signs, passwords and forms of initiation.

The legend of the third degree.

Ancient Craft Masonry includes only the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason.